Chapter Nineteen

Standing in her closet, Stephanie took a deep breath and blew it out as she pulled off her sweater and slacks.  Drawing on her favorite jeans she caught her reflection in the mirror.  Color rode high on her cheeks, and her lips were slightly swollen, her eyes were bright.  She looked like a woman who had been thoroughly kissed.  She thought about his lips and her nipples hardened.  Damn did she want him; she looked in the mirror again.  Well, at least her body did anyway.

Turning from the mirror she drew her bra off and tugged a soft cotton cami over her head and topped it with an ancient hoodie with a wide neck that slipped off one shoulder.  She needed to quiet the voice in her heart that was telling her this attraction was wrong.  But she just didn’t know how. 

Taking one last calming breath, she headed back down the stairs.  Stepping into the kitchen she found Richie right where she had left him, sitting at the breakfast bar.  Only now there was a purple gift bag on the counter in front of him.  Skirting the counter she opened a low cupboard and pulled out a skillet and a pot.  “I hope you like stir fry.”

“There you are” the corner of his mouth kicked up in a half smile.  “I was beginning to think you abandoned me.”  His eyes skimmed her and his body appreciated the fit of the jeans and the bareness of her shoulder.  He pushed the bag toward her.  “This is for you sweetheart.”

She set the skillet on the stove to heat.  “Rich, you sent me flowers today.  That was enough.”  She moved to the refrigerator to gather beef she had marinated that morning and the veggies she had cut last night before stepping back in front of the stove, “more than enough.  Those flowers were huge!”  She filled the pot with water and set it to boil and slid the meat into the skillet. 

Getting off the bar stool he turned her away from the stove to face him, “one thing you need to learn about me darlin’, I like doing the romantic gestures,” he cupped her chin, his thumb lightly caressing her jaw, “big or small.”  He reached behind him and grabbed the bag.  “Here.  I hope you like it.”  He waited.  Normally he was a flowers, candy, jewelry kind of guy.  Since he had done flowers that day already, he had to find something else but his favorite candy shop had been closed and he didn’t think jewelry would go over well this early in their relationship.  So he went an entirely different direction this one time.

She looked from his face to the bag dangling from his long fingers.  Mark hadn’t been like that.  Oh he would surprise her once in a blue moon, but it was usually a grander gesture, like that trip he took her on.  He had never been the flower and candy type of guy.  That didn’t bother her because when he did do those things, it meant that much more to her.

Richie didn’t move; the bag hung from his fingers, swaying back and forth.  He wanted to do little things for her.  He liked to do them.  So, he’d wait her out.  She’d take the bag eventually. 

Unable to do anything but take the bag from him, she set it on the counter and reached inside.  Her hand came back with something soft and dark brown.  Shaking it out, she noticed the design that ran down the one leg first.  She recognized these shorts; she had seen a picture of him wearing them when the band had been in Miami.  Holding them up in front of herself she smiled.  “I like them, but I’m pretty sure they’ll look much better on you than me.” 

With an almost embarrassed laugh he grabbed the shorts from her hand and sat back down.  “Sorry, those are my trunks.  There’s something else in there for you.”

She reached in again and this time she pulled out something soft and black.  Unfolding it she smiled and held it up in front of herself.  It was a black t-shirt with the White Trash Beautiful motif on the front.  It looked exactly like the red one he was wearing, except this one was slimmer, cut more for a woman than a man.  Dropping the shirt back into the bag she leaned across the counter and pressed her lips to his.  He was being so sweet to her.  “Thank you.”  

She stepped back and he watched her as she tended to her pots on the stove.  “You’re welcome.”  She really had no clue just how she was affecting him.  With that sweet little kiss he wanted to drag her across the counter, pull her down onto his lap and ravage every soft, delectable inch of her.

Draining his glass, he rattled the ice cubes.  But, he’d keep himself in check.  She wasn’t like the other women he had been with.  He had never worked so hard to get a woman into his bed and he kind of liked the chase.  She wasn’t easy and she wasn’t after him for anything other than his company.  It was a refreshing change.  But that didn’t make him any less determined to have some fun tonight.

~

Filling her wineglass once more, he set the empty bottle on the table and picked up their dishes.  “That was delicious, sweetheart.” 

She watched him set the dishes in the sink and turn on the water and stood to join him.  She grabbed the edge of the table to steady herself.  “Whoa.” 

He came up behind her and settled his hand on her lower back.  “Steady there sweetheart, maybe you should sit back down.”  He nudged her toward her chair.

“Nope” she shook her head.  “I’m fine.”  She looked over at the empty bottle and her half-full glass.  “I can’t believe you made me drink that whole bottle!”

He chuckled.  “I didn’t make you do anything.”  He just wanted to see how loose she would get if she had a little buzz on.

She snorted out a laugh.  “Right.  You just made sure my glass was never empty.”  She picked up her glass and took another sip.  “Come on, leave the dishes.  The hot tub is waiting.”  She weaved toward the stairs, pointing at the small powder room, “you can change in there.  I’ll be back in a minute.”

Stumbling into her room she ransacked her dresser drawers for a bathing suit.  “Come on, come on, I know there’s one here somewhere” she muttered as she dug through her summer clothes.

“Success!” she laughed as her hand closed around the two scraps of black fabric.  Stripping out of her jeans and sweatshirt she slid into the bottoms and tied the halter top around her neck.  Grabbing the clip off her night stand she stopped at the hall closet and snagged two fluffy towels and headed back downstairs. 

Peeking into the powder room she found Richie’s clothes folded neatly on the edge of the sink and his shoes behind the door.  Stepping into the kitchen the dishes were piled in the sink, her wineglass was gone from the table and the door to the deck was open.  She could hear music filtering in through the screen door along with the bubbling of the hot tub.  He must be out there already.  A picture of him in his bathing suit flashed through her head.  Her mouth watered at the thought and her fingers fumbled with the clip as she tried to pile her hair up out of the way. 

With a steadying breath she stepped outside and found Richie already in the hot tub waiting for her.  He had lit the tiki torches surrounding the tub and her wine glass was waiting for her on the little table. 

“Come on in, sweetheart, the water’s fine.”  He smiled and held out his hand as his eyes roamed over her.  Several locks of hair had escaped the clip and trailed down her neck, a long, graceful, lovely neck that he wanted to nibble on.  The black bikini left little to his imagination and he was glad for the bubbling water.  He didn’t want the tent in his shorts to scare her off.

Taking his hand, she climbed into the tub only to discover she lost her gracefulness about two glasses of wine ago.  She slipped, her grip on his hand tightened and as she tried to right herself, her free hand slid across his chest to grip his bicep and she landed on his lap.  Turning her head she was eye to eye with his chest.  Unable to help herself and the wine having relieved her of some of her inhibitions, her tongue snaked out and licked his hard, coppery nipple.

At the touch of her tongue to his skin, his control snapped and his free hand cupped the back of her head, lifting it to his.  Their mouths met in a heated kiss and he shifted her to straddle his lap.  He knew she was more than a little buzzed, and he shouldn’t take advantage, but right now, he couldn’t think of anything but how right she felt and how sweet and hot her mouth was.